Ari Aster is a famous American director, producer, and screenwriter. The horror icon was born in 1986 in New York City. Over the course of his career, Aster has received several accolades for his horror movies which include Midsommar, Beau Is Afraid and Hereditary.
Though Aster has been working since 20o8, his big break came with 2018’s Hereditary. Since the success of Hereditary, Aster quickly became one of the most notable directors of his generation, becoming an instant icon. Here are several interesting facts.
1. Ari Aster Was A Fan Of The Horror Genre From Childhood
The director started watching movies at an early age. One of Aster’s earliest memories is of watching the movie Dick Tracy, after which, his love for horror movies stayed with him for a long time. The director often rented horror movies from the video store, and in one of his interviews, he revealed, “I just exhausted the horror section of every video store I could find. I didn’t know how to assemble people who would cooperate on something like that. I found myself just writing screenplays.”
2. His Debut Short Film Made It To 30 Festivals Worldwide
Ari Aster’s movies were significantly successful at the box office, particularly, Midsommar and Hereditary. His movie, Beau Is Afraid, has also been a critical darling since its release. However, Aster’s success isn’t tied just to long-form movies. The director started his journey with short films, one of them being The Strange Thing About the Johnsons. It premiered on 22 January 2011 at Slamdance Film Festival in Utah. After that, the movie made it several festivals around the world in 2011. It then went viral on the internet after it leaked.
3. He Had A Poet Mother And Musician Father
Not much is known about Ari Aster’s parents, but he has revealed that his father was a musician. In his interview at Vox, the director said, “I have incredibly supportive parents who are both artists.” After being asked about the origin of his family trauma storyline in Hereditary, he clarified that none of his characters were surrogates for him or his family members. Further research shows that his mother’s name was Bobbie Lurie, and she was a poet.
4. He Studied Film At The College of Santa Fe
The director is extremely talented and widely known for creating expansive stories. This ability was honed through long exposure to the art and film. Ari Aster pursued his degree in film and graduated in 2008 from the College of Santa Fe (currently, University Of Santa Fe). He later earned an MFA degree from the AFI Conservatory Graduate program with a focus on directing.
5. His Box Office Blockbuster Hereditary Won Multiple Critics’ Awards
The primary film that made his name at the box office was Hereditary which was nominated for multiple Critics Awards worldwide. The film did bag some of those awards including the Most Promising Filmmaker Award at Chicago Film Critics Association Awards. Aster also took home the Best Director Award at the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards and was nominated for Breakthrough Director at the Gotham Awards.
6. He Previously Lived In England
Ari Aster was born in a Jewish household in New York City. His family then relocated to the England where they lived for several years. Eventually they moved back to the United States, settling in New Mexico.
7. Ari Aster’s Father Had A Jazz Nightclub
Aster’s parents inspired his artistic approach to directing horror movies as both were artists. As mentioned earlier, his father was a musician, and before moving to New Mexico, Aster’s father opened a nightclub in the heart of Chester. However, he had to close it down when the family relocated to New Mexico when Ari Aster was ten.movie Dick Tracy
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